PHILADANCO Leaps into Spring Season with Two World Premieres This Mother's Day Weekend at the Kimmel Center,
April 28, 2008
Repertory Includes World Premieres by Hinton Battle & Christopher Huggins
"The company style... is visceral—fierce and sensuous by turns—elegant and ingratiating."
PHILADANCO leaps into spring season with two world premieres this Mother’s Day weekend with a program titled In the Black Tradition at the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater on Thursday-Saturday, May 8-10, 2008 at 7:30pm and Saturday and Sunday, May 10–11, 2008 at 2:30pm. The world premieres of "Commitment" by choreographer Christopher Huggins and "From Dawn ‘til Dusk" by three-time Tony® Award winner Hinton Battle will be performed on stage, as well as the revival of romantic classics such as Gene Hill Sagan’s "Ritornello" and Talley Beatty’s "Such Sweet Morning Song." The world-renowned dance company, noted for dynamic interpretations of cutting edge talent, recently returned from a European tour in 14 cities, including critically acclaimed performances in Austria, Hungary, Germany and the Netherlands.
"PHILADANCO’s dancers are a miracle of skill and energy. They work in a range of idioms most companies don’t even try to possess…A company that can do more than just anything…It can represent the possibilities of the human spirit through dance."
An Artist Chat with founder and Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown, company members of PHILADANCO, and Kimmel Center Director of Programming Tom Warner will take place following the performance on Thursday, May 8, 2008.
Tickets for PHILADANCO are priced at $34 and $46 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning 2.5 hours prior to curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
For 38 years PHILADANCO has adhered to its mission to present the highest quality of professional dance performance and exceptional training for emerging professional dancers and choreographers, while also increasing the appreciation of dance among its many communities. PHILADANCO’s unique blend of dance styles has made them one of the most sought after modern companies in the United States, with a roster of 50-60 concert performances and 45 residencies annually. In 1986, PHILADANCO was one of only 15 organizations awarded the prestigious National Choreography Planning Grant. The company organized the historic first two International Conferences for Black Dance Companies with over 75 representatives convening in Philadelphia. In 2005, PHILADANCO was one of 14 companies to receive the prestigious American Masterpieces award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
PHILADANCO founder and Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown currently serves as honorary chairperson for the International Association of Blacks in Dance. She is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of the Arts, and a member of the dance faculty at Howard University in Washington, DC. In addition to a range of regional and national organizations, Brown has been involved locally with the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, the Minority Arts Resource Council, the Philadelphia Mayor’s Cultural Advisory Council, the Philadelphia Dance Alliance, The Women’s Heritage Society, Dance/USA and the Coalition of African American Cultural Organizations. Brown was honored as one of the prestigious "Dance Women: Living Legends" in 1997 and, in 2006, with a Dance Magazine Award for her work with PHILADANCO.
Kimmel Center Presents 2007/2008 season is sponsored by Citi. Support for the Mellon Jazz Series comes from The Bank of New York Mellon. The Great Orchestra Series is supported by ARC Wheeler. Additional support is provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System and American Express. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Mellon Jazz, Mellon Jazz Up Close and World & Pop.
The Kimmel Center also receives support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The William Penn Foundation, The Wachovia Foundation, Verizon Foundation, PNC Foundation, The Philadelphia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and the Philadelphia Music Project and Dance Advance, Initiatives of The Pew Charitable Trust administered by The University of the Arts. NBC-10 is a Media Partner for Kimmel Center Presents, and additional media sponsors include WDAS, WRTI, WJJZ, Afro-Pop, WXPN and WXPN's Kids Corner 20th Anniversary.
Free in the Plaza programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from Wachovia Foundation.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS SPONSORED BY CITI
Thursday and Friday, May 8-9, 2008 at 7:30pm
Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 2:30pm and 7:30pm
Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 2:30pm
Perelman Theater
Movers & Shakers
PHILADANCO
Featuring Penelope J. Armstead-Williams, Miguel Edson Banket, Chloe O. Davis, Tommie- Waheed Evans, Brandon Glasgow, David Holland, Odara N. Jabali-Nash, Joan Kilgore, Mykal D. Laury, II, Teneise L. Mitchell, Mora-Amina Parker, Devin L. Roberts, Tyrell V. Rolle, Jay Staten, Tracy Vogt, Dawn Marie Watson
"Ritornello"
Choreography: Gene Hill Sagan
Reconstruction: Kim Y. Bears-Bailey
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach
Lighting Design: William H. Grant, III
Lighting Execution: Nicole Pearce
Costume Design/Execution: Natasha Guruleva
"Such Sweet Morning Song"
Choreographer: Talley Beatty
Reconstruction: Kim Y. Bears-Bailey
Music: Charles Mingus
Lighting Design: William H. Grant, III
Lighting Execution: Nicole Pearce
Costume Design/Execution: Natasha Guruleva
"From Dawn ‘til Dusk" (world premiere)
Choreographer: Christopher L. Huggins
Assistant to Mr. Huggins: Kayoko Amemiya
Music: Bobby McFerrin
Lighting Design/Execution: Nicole Pearce
Costume Design/Execution: Natasha Guruleva
"Commitment" (world premiere)
Choreographer: Hinton Battle
Assistant to Mr. Battle: Lettie Battle
Original Music Composition/Arrangements: Scott Steiner
Lighting Design/Execution: Nicole Pearce
Costume Design/Execution: Ari G. Harris
FREE AT THE KIMMEL EVENT
Thursday, May 8, 2008 | Post-show
Perelman Theater
Artist Chat with PHILADANCO and Joan Myers Brown
Please join us for an Artist Chat with founder and Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown, company members of PHILADANCO, and Kimmel Center Director of Programming Tom Warner following the ticketed performance on Thursday, May 8, 2008.
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